After 4 Years of Displacement the People of Til Hamis Return Home

TIL HAMIS, ROJAVA, Syria — Since the first year of Syrian Revolution, in the midst of chaos resulted from civil oppression and foreign interference, terrorist groups like Al-Nusra, and later Daesh (ISIS), found the opportunity to operate in the country to intimidate civilian environment and add to the complexity of the situation across the range of attacks on people’s lives and possessions. That caused thousands of civilians to be forcibly displaced and by seeking refuge in neighboring countries try to save themselves from vicious creeds of the terrorists.

Of those places targeted by the Al-Nusra terrorists was Til Hamis, a town with a predominant Arab population in Qamishlo region, Jazeera, Rojava, northeast Syria. Attacks by various terrorist groups led to the displacement of thousands of Til Hamis civilians into areas elsewhere in the region. Terrorist-occupied Til Hamis and other locations were looted and there was no outlook to humanity as local populace was forced to deserts. After spending rough times with no place to go and no food to eat, the people directed towards cities like Amuda, Qamishlo and Darbasiya in Rojava.

The People’s Defense Units who shouldered the security in the region as a principal duty responded to the local population’s request in early 2015 by implementing various solutions, among them initiating a key military operation with the intention of liberating the district from Daesh terrorists, and building up a fair sense of peace and security in the broader extent.

During that mission, joint military units of the People’s/Women’s Defense Units were able to successfully liberate the town Til Hamis and Til Berak, but due to large numbers of mines and IEDs the terrorists had planted in almost all of the houses in the town, lack of resources needed to disarm those threats in a short period of time, and also considering constant attacks by the enemy in that location, the People’s Defense Units, by necessity, declared Til Hamis and its vicinity as a combat zone and evacuated remaining civilians for their protection. The noted state continued until November 2015 when a coalition of Arab, Kurdish and Syriac Christian military units of the newly-organized Syrian Democratic Forces (QSD) could complete further advance on terrorist-occupied grounds and push forward to the south of Til Hamis.

Finally, engineering units of the YPG said on December 14 that the town was completely secured of all threats and crucial necessities were delivered to the civilians. Below is the statement issued during a press conference on December 16 while the people of Til Hamis were returning to their land:

For the Media and Public Opinion | STATEMENT 20151216

As the People’s Defense Units (YPG) and the Women’s Defense Units (YPJ), we welcome and greet all components of Rojava, Syria, especially the people of Tal Hamis who came across brutal killings and forced displacement, yet heir resilient spirit from the beginning of Syrian Revolution is now entering the fifth year.

To support and defend a peaceful coexistence by raising better understanding of peoples’ brotherhood, and for the sake of the security in the region, the People’s Defense Units carried out relentless military operations in which tens of its combatants were martyred in action. To liberate Til Hamis from the oppression imposed by dark forces and brutes like the terrorist group Daesh (ISIS) we were productively able to clear the town and surrounding villages until lately the coalition of the Syrian Democratic Forces (QSD – formerly SDF) was established. From all components, all sides, shoulder-to-shoulder at shared fighting positions, they started a major military campaign in rural district to the south of Hasakah region so as to secure the area and provide required conditions for the civilians to return to their homes.

This success was attained thanks to your sons and daughters’ sacrifice and your struggle to protect many achievements of the revolution. Today we pay tribute to fallen martyrs who confidently fought and wrote legends of heroism and resistance to insure we all can live honorably, and foster more awareness of plots enemies of peaceful life are preparing. Therefore, we shall not stop practicing the philosophy and path to freedom by performing a free life based upon the Democratic Nation. Once again we congratulate you the people on this victory and your recapture of your homes. We are also informing that the region has been fully protected of all improvised explosive devices or any other threat, you may now reclaim your properties at liberty.